12 Arrested At Iowa Fertilizer Plant

WEVER, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in southeast Iowa have arrested 12 workers at the construction site of a fertilizer plant on suspicion of identity fraud.

The Lee County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement say officers arrested the employees Thursday afternoon as they traveled on buses to a safety meeting for the Iowa Fertilizer Company.

Sheriff Jim Sholl tells the Fort Madison Daily Democrat (http://bit.ly/1kPazkv ) that 12 individuals on the buses did not have proper documentation. Additional information was not available. Authorities say the arrests were made following an anonymous tip.

Records show the Iowa Fertilizer Company is a subsidiary of Orascom Construction Industries. It is building a $1.8 billion fertilizer plant near Wever that's expected to be completed in 2015. A message for Orascom was not immediately returned Thursday night.